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Advancing Genomic Medicine with Alumna Wolu Chukwu

Introducing Wolu Chukwu, a Minerva graduate from the Class of 2022 from Nigeria.

April 3, 2024

As an installment in The Alumni Feature Series, this article was created through interviews conducted by enthusiastic and inquisitive current students. Their aim is to delve deeper into the experiences and achievements of our thriving alumni.

Introducing Wolu, an alumna originally from Nigeria, whose profound curiosity for science started in high school. Choosing an all-science secondary education and later earning a dual degree in Computer Science and Natural Science at Minerva, Wolu is now a computational biologist at the renowned Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Situated in the academic hub of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Broad Institute, founded in 2004, stands as a collaborative research powerhouse, uniting experts from various disciplines. Wolu's impactful role at the institute involves constructing a classifier – an algorithm used to classify data – to discern between somatic and germline genomic rearrangements in cancer cells—a crucial component in understanding the complexities of where cancer originates in an individual.  

Her journey has been enriched by opportunities in both wet and dry labs, opportunities that were opened first through Minerva’s partnership with Hanyang University in Korea. This collaboration played a pivotal role in shaping Wolu's ability to work in laboratories that deal with “wet” biomatter, such as liquids, drugs, and chemicals as well as in more computational-focused spheres. During a summer internship with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Wolu had the chance to shadow a surgical pathologist, observe analyses of biopsies, and use microscopes to examine tissue for evidence of cancer. This experience allowed Wolu to gain an in-depth look at clinical practice, revealing the immense collaborative effort behind serving patients:“ I was able to experience clinical practice to a much greater degree than I ever had before, appreciate the collaborative effort that goes into administering care, and learned that I wanted to be even closer to the patient in order get that full perspective of how the research we do impacts patients’ lives,” Wolu notes when speaking of that formative time. 

Reflecting on the most rewarding aspects of her current position, Wolu shares her vision for the future impact of genomic medicine on patient outcomes. With this in mind, Wolu is fervently dedicated to realizing her dream of making a tangible impact on patients' lives by pursuing a Doctor of Medicine PhD.  Balancing the demands of rigorous research, she uses her free time to invest in additional classes and clinical volunteering to make her goals a reality. 

In the midst of her ambitious and rigorous academic and professional journey, Wolu still seems to radiate happiness in the vibrant city she calls home – Boston. She attributes her easy transition into adult life to the skills and independence nurtured at Minerva during her student years. Actively engaging with Boston's rich culture and community, Wolu embraces the challenges of her scientific pursuits with a constant sense of joy and fulfillment.

If you were inspired by Wolu's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world, apply to join Minerva today.

Quick Facts

Name
Country
Class
Major

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business & Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Computational Sciences & Social Sciences

Computer Science & Arts and Humanities

Business and Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Arts and Humanities

Business, Social Sciences

Business & Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences, Natural Sciences

Data Science, Statistics

Computational Sciences

Business

Computational Sciences, Data Science

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Business, Natural Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Science

Social Sciences, Business

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Science

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Science, Statistic Natural Sciences

Business & Social Sciences

Computational Science, Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Business

Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Arts and Humanities

Computational Science

Minor

Sustainability

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Science & Business

Economics

Social Sciences

Concentration

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Economics and Society & Strategic Finance

Enterprise Management

Economics and Society

Cells and Organisms & Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Cognitive Science and Economics & Political Science

Applied Problem Solving & Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence & Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Designing Societies & New Ventures

Strategic Finance & Data Science and Statistics

Brand Management and Designing Societies

Data Science & Economics

Machine Learning

Cells, Organisms, Data Science, Statistics

Arts & Literature and Historical Forces

Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science

Cells and Organisms, Mind and Emotion

Economics, Physics

Managing Operational Complexity and Strategic Finance

Global Development Studies and Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Scalable Growth, Designing Societies

Business

Drug Discovery Research, Designing and Implementing Policies

Historical Forces, Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Artificial Intelligence, Psychology

Designing Solutions, Data Science and Statistics

Data Science and Statistic, Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science

Strategic Finance, Politics, Government, and Society

Data Analysis, Cognition

Brand Management

Data Science and Statistics & Economics

Cognitive Science & Economics

Data Science and Statistics and Contemporary Knowledge Discovery

Internship
Higia Technologies
Project Development and Marketing Analyst Intern at VIVITA, a Mistletoe company
Business Development Intern, DoSomething.org
Business Analyst, Clean Energy Associates (CEA)

Conversation

As an installment in The Alumni Feature Series, this article was created through interviews conducted by enthusiastic and inquisitive current students. Their aim is to delve deeper into the experiences and achievements of our thriving alumni.

Introducing Wolu, an alumna originally from Nigeria, whose profound curiosity for science started in high school. Choosing an all-science secondary education and later earning a dual degree in Computer Science and Natural Science at Minerva, Wolu is now a computational biologist at the renowned Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Situated in the academic hub of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Broad Institute, founded in 2004, stands as a collaborative research powerhouse, uniting experts from various disciplines. Wolu's impactful role at the institute involves constructing a classifier – an algorithm used to classify data – to discern between somatic and germline genomic rearrangements in cancer cells—a crucial component in understanding the complexities of where cancer originates in an individual.  

Her journey has been enriched by opportunities in both wet and dry labs, opportunities that were opened first through Minerva’s partnership with Hanyang University in Korea. This collaboration played a pivotal role in shaping Wolu's ability to work in laboratories that deal with “wet” biomatter, such as liquids, drugs, and chemicals as well as in more computational-focused spheres. During a summer internship with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Wolu had the chance to shadow a surgical pathologist, observe analyses of biopsies, and use microscopes to examine tissue for evidence of cancer. This experience allowed Wolu to gain an in-depth look at clinical practice, revealing the immense collaborative effort behind serving patients:“ I was able to experience clinical practice to a much greater degree than I ever had before, appreciate the collaborative effort that goes into administering care, and learned that I wanted to be even closer to the patient in order get that full perspective of how the research we do impacts patients’ lives,” Wolu notes when speaking of that formative time. 

Reflecting on the most rewarding aspects of her current position, Wolu shares her vision for the future impact of genomic medicine on patient outcomes. With this in mind, Wolu is fervently dedicated to realizing her dream of making a tangible impact on patients' lives by pursuing a Doctor of Medicine PhD.  Balancing the demands of rigorous research, she uses her free time to invest in additional classes and clinical volunteering to make her goals a reality. 

In the midst of her ambitious and rigorous academic and professional journey, Wolu still seems to radiate happiness in the vibrant city she calls home – Boston. She attributes her easy transition into adult life to the skills and independence nurtured at Minerva during her student years. Actively engaging with Boston's rich culture and community, Wolu embraces the challenges of her scientific pursuits with a constant sense of joy and fulfillment.

If you were inspired by Wolu's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world, apply to join Minerva today.